Cultural thrills: rafting in the sjoa Valley.
photo: Graham GenGe
Live
Free
&Paddle
B e s t W h i t e W a t e r t o W n s
I
n the four-bedroom century farmhouse that is Rapid magazine’s head office, we tallied
the years of whitewater experience possessed by our editorial, design and sales staff. The total? 103 years.
That’s a lot of cycles on the calendar spent travelling bumpy put-in roads, tracing sinuous blue lines on topo
Terrace
maps, sharing accommodations with wintering rodent populations and generally chasing the whitewater dream.
We’ve spent the last 11 of those years in the blink-and-you-miss-it timber town of Palmer rapids. sure
there’s no nightlife (aside from community centre bingo), a box of corn flakes costs six bucks, the general store
rents only Vhs and fine dining is a seasonal chip stand. but if you triangulate between the ottawa Valley’s
world-class whitewater, algonquin Park’s thousands of wilderness lakes, and the spring creeks that tumble off
the southerly edge of the canadian shield, you’ll find Palmer rapids at the centre.
half a dozen unique hamlets, towns and cities are profiled on the following pages by avid boaters who
actually live there. This is the local lowdown on the people, whitewater, outdoor activities and events that give
these communities their character. We’ve also included—in no particular order—44 other top contenders for
the crown of best whitewater town.
stop counting the years. turn the page and start living your dreams. —VM
22 Rapid spring 2010
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